Trauma assessment center nearly set

What has been a nine-month wait for a mental health assessment will be trimmed to a week or less, thanks to creation of a new office.

By Jef RietsmaJournal Correspondent

What has been a nine-month wait for a mental health assessment will be trimmed to a week or less, thanks to creation of a new office.Children’s Trauma Assessment Group will open around July 1 in a 900-square-foot space next door to St. Joseph County United Way’s office.Kelly Hostetler, executive director of the local United Way, said the idea for the Children’s Trauma Assessment Group started with Jim Henry, a former St. Joseph County Department of Human Services worker who has gone on to become a professor at Western Michigan University.Hostetler said Henry was concerned about the delay between a child’s experience with some type of trauma and an assessment by a mental health official to determine the severity of the child’s trauma. The only area location available for such an assessment had been at Western Michigan University’s Children’s Trauma Assessment Center.Henry, who still maintains close contact with officials in St. Joseph County, met in December with Probate Court Judge David Tomlinson and raised the idea of an assessment center in Centreville. Hostetler said the need for a local CTAG has long been an issue.“There could be a child experiencing trauma through any of a variety of scenarios … taken from home following the arrest of their parents for a meth bust, lone survivor of an automobile accident, the victim of sexual abuse, a victim or witness to physical abuse, being bullied at school,” Hostetler said. “To wait up to nine months for an evaluation is just crazy, so the fact we can do that in a week or less is going to be a major benefit to the child.”Hostetler said the result of the assessment varies depending on the severity and nature of the trauma. Options include professional counseling, or participation in a school or church group, for example.After Tomlinson met with Henry, Tomlinson turned to a few county officials and made a commitment to ensure St. Joseph County has an assessment center of its own.

Organizations help

St. Joseph County Prosecutor John McDonough got on board and they asked the United Way if it would help with the formation of CTAG. Although Hostetler and the local United Way will eventually step aside once the center gets underway, she has found numerous people and organizations willing to lend a hand.“I wouldn’t say I was surprised so much help was offered, because there are a lot of good people in St. Joseph County,” she said. “Nobody we talked to about helping out turned us down, because they believe so strongly in this.”CTAG will provide a relaxed environment for law-enforcement personnel and other officials to interview children.Such interviews are currently conducted at the sheriff’s department in a sterile, intimidating environment, Hostetler said.The interview process is critical for investigators, and a victim of sexual abuse should be comfortable and feel safe in order to yield details of their trauma, she noted. High-tech audio recording equipment and a one-way window into the interview room are additional tools to help police gain critical testimony.Craig Metzger, owner of Sturgis-based Gecko Security, stepped up and has agreed to outfit the interview and observation rooms with recording equipment, which will produce audio and video to help prosecute defendants.Metzger, who is donating his labor, said he found his equipment suppliers were eager to help, too. For each piece of equipment purchased, his suppliers matched it.Metzger has set up recording stations in interview rooms at police stations in Battle Creek, Elkhart, White Pigeon, Constantine, Kalamazoo, state police posts and other sites.Oversight detailsCTAG is applying for 501(c)(3) status and will be overseen by its own board. In addition to police interviews, the site can serve as a backup for DHS, the sheriff’s department, Community Mental Health and other agencies that conduct sensitive question-answer sessions.Access to the site will be overseen by 911 Central Dispatch. Hostetler said 24-access is important, making the 911 center a good place to keep a key to the location.She said the office is in need of a few items and is appealing to the community for help. Major items sought include a computer system and fax machine. Also in need are desks, filing cabinets, office supplies, toys and books and anything child-related.Items may taken to the United Way office. Its phone number is 467-9099.

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